Bright Hong Kong: LGBT rights and Gay Games

(Photo credit: Bright Hong Kong)

Just as Hong Kong is set to become the first ever Asian city to host the Gay Games in 2022 despite lukewarm response from the government, a group of diplomats, academics and experts joined a dialogue with an internationally prominent LGBT rights advocate and the very proponent of the Hong Kong games.

The roundtable discussion, held by Bright Hong Kong on 13 November, was led by Boris Dittrich, Head of LGBT Rights of worldwide NGO Human Rights Watch, and Dennis Philipse, founder of the local LGBT group “Out” and Head of the Gay Olympic Games in Hong Kong 2022.

During the session, a report recently released by Human Rights Watch, titled: “Have You Considered Your Parents’ Happiness?’: Conversion Therapy Against LGBT People in China,” was presented. The report urged Chinese authorities to ban abusive gay “conversion therapy” by healthcare facilities or practitioners.

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Meanwhile, in Hong Kong and in the entire region, it was hoped that the Gay Games can bring about not just economic benefits but also a landmark opportunity to promote human rights and diversity.

Other attendees included, Annemieke Ruigrok, Consul General of the Netherlands; Germán Muñoz, Director of Bright Hong Kong; Prof John P Burns form Hong Kong University; Kathleen Ferrier, Honorary Professor in Human Rights at the Asian University for Women, Gender and Politics at the Hong Kong Baptist University; Daniel De Blocq Van Scheltinga, member of the executive committee of the European Chamber of Commerce; Prof Hans Werner Hess, Deputy Director EAP, Department of Government and International Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University; Renu Bhatia, FinTech Specialist and also a Justice for Women Advocate; Sanjukta Mukherjee, Head of PwC’s Thought Leadership team for Hong Kong; Michael Lin, partner at Marks & Clerk; and Gulnar Vaswani, Director, Your Best Forward International.

Alex Fok is a Harbour Times journalist monitoring Hong Kong’s daily political scene and diplomatic updates. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics, Politics and International Studies from University of Warwick and his master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a former committee member of the Warwick-based Hong Kong Public Affairs and Social Service Society (WHKPASS) and was the chief editor of the society’s magazine – PASSTIMES.